Malaria Time

The ambulance here, and my ride after dark. Whenever I'm called for an emergency at night the really friendly driver picks me up. I'm not allowed to walk anywhere after dark even the 100m to the hospital for two reasons, the people and the huge wild dogs that run the streets at night.

A tranquil view from my back porch of my laundry hanging.

The upper level of the hospital, this building is outpatient/observation, the eye clinic and the minor theater which is equivalent to a smaller O.R.

Lauren with Malaria. A very dramatic pose. I was jealous because they gave her the mac daddy sweet and I got stuck in pediatrics.

Exiting the hospital

Inside the wards. The hospital is very different here in that it is very open air.

In an ironic twist this week I was diagnosed with Malaria on Tuesday and have been trying to get over that all week. This was the sickest I’ve ever been and while sparing the gruesome details it mostly involved a lot of trips to the bathroom involving both ends.

Theweek began with a bad omen when Lauren actually got malaria as well, seemingly setting the stage for myself. And before anyone asks, yes we were taking our pills, sleeping under a bed net and taking all the precautions. I really have no idea how we got it. Our current most popular theory is that while at Masai a Marra we were bitten by mosquitoes with malaria strains resistant to our prophylaxis since the disease takes about a week to become symptomatic. We pulled that out of nowhere but really who knows.

Our treatment really began with a lot of fluids since we were very dehydrated followed by I.V. quinine. Fun fact quinine is the exact same ingredient in tonic water so a local remedy for malaria here is drinking a lot of tonic water. We both spent a night in the hospital and learned quite a deal about what the experience is for the patients here. Let’s just say luxury is not an adjective that comes to mind. Being ill also made me very homesick. I missed everyone back home very much this week. 

Sorry I’m light on photos this week, these are really just a tour of the hospital oddly enough as I was visiting Lauren just hours before I went down.

First Week

My Hotel in Nairobi

At Masai a Marra

Part of the Nairobi Skyline.

At Masai a Marra. Lions are everywhere, this one is tracking down a meal. It's an awesome sight to see them hunt

Hut at Masai a Marra

A street view, all towns are large accumulation of people at the market along with a these vans and taxi 2 stroke motorcycles

This was interesting. This is the equivalent of Joel Osteen in Kenya. A proclaimed christian prophet. Apparently a big deal.

View from my room. Named the cow Humphrey.

Well it’s been a really busy first week. I can hardly believe I left a week ago. It feels like 3 months already. The basic synopsis is that I landed in the capitol Nairobi on Friday morning after about 33 hours of traveling. My guide and I guess cultural adviser, Josh picked me up and gave me a brief tour of the city. It’s an amazing place I thought it would be a more steppe climate but it’s basically in the jungle and hovers around 75 degrees, very cold for Kenyans. There are huge skyscrapers, baboons roam the streets, people walk everywhere including down the middle of the highway and there is a lot of poverty here. After a night in a very interesting hotel downtown we drove to a part of the country called Masai a Marra, which is where the Masai tribe lives and where a huge population of the large game in Africa is. It’s incredibly remote but very beautiful. The tribe themselves are amazing they live basically among lions and elephants and have no problems. We however could not go anywhere at night for fear of becoming a meal. After a day there we traveled to St. Joseph mission hospital in Migori. The minute I arrived I was rushed to a C section surgery. Since then I’ve assisted 2 surgeries stitched a man who was beaten and helped diagnose and treat almost 50 patients with tropical diseases, HIV + TB being the primary culprit. It’s both terribly tragic to see all the unnecessary suffering but also very hopeful because the people here really have an amazing altruistic approach to life. I admire it. I am going on very little sleep so I’m looking forward to the weekend where my schedule should slow down a little for a couple days. 

    

First Photos

Pretty much my living situation at the hospital. I apologize the internet here is brutally slow so I have to pick and choose on photos. I'll try and do better later.

It's been a crazy first few days. Have seen a ton of patients, parts of Kenya and very large animals. I'll write more later this week.

Last Day

Well just one more day until I leave. A lot is going through my mind; I’ll try and keep it short. I admit I’m struggling with nerves but the excitement has played a nice equilibrium. Maybe I’m full of crap and I’m totally high strung… hopefully not.

This is something I’ve always wanted to do and I really feel like I can make a difference, be it a small one. I’m committed and will do everything I possibly can to help others and learn from the experience. I wanted to thank everyone that has helped me along the way; I really would not be where I am without the great support. I will definitely miss all friends and family very much, especially the beautiful and wonderful girl in Houston. You will occupy my thoughts often.

It seems long now but the next 4 months will fly by. I can’t wait to share what I’ve done when I get back in January. Until then, I’ll see you on the other side.

See This Movie

I watched this documentary, "Living In Emergency" with my brother a few nights ago and I was at a loss for words. This documentary about Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) IS AMAZING. The reason I liked it so much wasn’t because it glorified the doctors that undertake the medical mission, but rather the opposite. The realistic depiction of how difficult practicing medicine can be in situations in Africa and very needy/violent war torn communities around the world really opens your eyes to what daily life in parts of the world are like. Ultimately it really shows you the tragic fallacy of what trying to help people can be, that sometimes your work goes unrecognized and opposed. On a lighter note I really think it inspires a realistic inclination to help around the world, at least it did for me, granted me seeing this is a little like shooting fish in a barrel.

New Camera

Just bought a new camera that I love. It's the Sony Cybershot hx100. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in photography. I'll have sample shots soon.

Inaugural

Hey everyone, or just the one follower. So it's my first blog entry defying the odds at last of me writing about myself. I am very excited though because I get to write about my amazing presentation at Newton last week. On Friday the 19th I was invited to organize and speak about African diseases of poverty and the social ramifications at my Alma mater, Newton Middle School. I spoke for a bit about a few endemic diseases I'll most likely see in Kenya and Somalia but really I gave a great deal of effort to relate the material to the students lives in hopes of enlightening them a little on the topic of social injustice. I should give credit to "Miss Stilley" for her excellent advice on teaching and presenting material to students, it really did help. Hopefully the community service project that the staff at Newton and I organized will managed to accomplish a greater sense of community with the students, if just to a small degree. But I must say I was so well received and the questions the students posed were so excellent, I could not have been more impressed. Finally I want to extend a sincere thank you to the teachers for inviting me, specifically my wonderful ex teacher/neighbor Jill Mack, thank you so much it was a pleasure.